“She’s so extra” Oatmeal Cookies

Hello friends!

It’s Easter Monday and I’ve just finished a long weekend of family get-togethers, marathon Gossip Girl sessions and of course, baking.

This weekend, every opportunity I could, I volunteered to bake something – for my mother-in-law, it was cupcakes; for work friends, it was shortbread (recipe to come!); and for my family, it was banana bread, and oatmeal cookies.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but my parents, aunts, and uncles are funny in that they always want something for dessert, but it has to have a semblance of healthiness to it or they’ll say it’s “too rich” or a personal favourite, “why did you ruin it with chocolate chips?”

So this year for Easter, I chose to make two things that I was sure everyone would try: banana bread (an old favourite) and oatmeal cookies. Oh, if only my family knew just how unhealthy oatmeal cookies really are! But alas, they hear oatmeal, and think health.

One thing my hubby is always telling me is to keep it simple. Things like shortbread, sugar cookies and Rice Krispies squares always go down well because they have a handful of recognizable ingredients. But making these simple recipes can get so boring! I’m forever adding new things to cookies to liven them up – honeycomb, caramel candies, potato chips etc. Sometimes it works (like with potato chips) and sometimes it doesn’t (honeycomb + hot oven = disaster).

So when I settled in to make these oatmeal cookies, it was with the idea that I’d make some simple oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and leave it at that. But then I saw my Bulk Barn container…

A couple handfuls of chopped walnuts and some dried cranberries, along with the original plan of very roughly chopped milk chocolate combined to make the most heavenly oatmeal cookie to ever land in my mouth. Boring? Never! These were chewy, with luscious cranberry and nutty tidbits mixed with a crazy amount of rich, melty chocolate. Ugh, so good. I wish I had saved more for myself!